


would you stay with me (like we're meant to be)

by baeconandeggs, theyeoltimate



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slice of Life, Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, soulmark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyeoltimate/pseuds/theyeoltimate
Summary: There were simply things that no matter how much the heart wanted, the universe could not give. For Baekhyun, that’s Chanyeol— the one person he will always choose, if only it was his choice to make.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 56
Kudos: 299
Collections: BAE2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** BAE458  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author's Note:** This fic has been the center of my life for the past months, and although it had been difficult for me to juggle work with writing, I am proud of how this turned out to be. To the prompter, I hope you liked it even though this may have been different from what you had in your mind when you submitted the prompt (my apologies!).
> 
> To H, who has not only been my beta but also my best friend, thank you for being with me since day one. You have been with me since the moment I picked out this prompt up to the very last edit I made before submitting it. This fic has been with you as much as it has been with me. Here's to hoping we'd have more fics together in the future. To B, who have made me love this fic even more than I already did, thank you for being the first person to appreciate this. Thank you for supporting me throughout my writing process — for being my secret keeper, my rant space, my alarm clock, and my daily reminder that I could do this. I love you both so much.
> 
> _this fic is for twelve special people (you know who you are)—  
>  thank you. i love you._
> 
> Here's the list of songs used at the beginning of each part:  
> [from here](https://open.spotify.com/track/7dq8z7PS7FQ3ucTNpdfJz0), [first date](https://open.spotify.com/track/2zMsClh8Mdkpg7VxmJrjPb), [always ends](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_yPlOL7VdI), [fiction](https://open.spotify.com/track/10ENqIEhocpKPhDyKajTDB), [to eternity](https://adibsin.bandcamp.com/track/to-eternity-feat-cae) and [awoken](https://soundcloud.com/dennis-lee-502453358/awoken-feat-salsa)
> 
> All songs used are credited to Adib Sin, including the title which is from his song, [Fated](https://open.spotify.com/track/3w6sIjxVeSedJQjfjjGM4I?si=xzUqjjjjTMKlx8L9X8W5dw).

* * *

**I**

**_from here_ **

_Why did it sound so familiar when you said my name?_

_From the crystal lattice that makes up the nerves of your brain,_

_And the hurricanes that you pulse through your veins,_

_I know every current, every wave–_

_Please stay._

* * *

Right when the first note in the song hit Baekhyun’s ears, he closed his eyes.

_Why is it that from worlds away,_

_I feel your hands against my face?_

_Why is it that when morning comes,_

_It makes this feeling fade away?_

There was a certain magic that only his favorite song could cast upon him. Everything in the song was silent and mellow, but for Baekhyun, it was almost deafening. It was the only thing that could make him muffle the noise of the world around him. The words, soft and smooth, were the only thing that can calm his mind from its worries and its demons. To Baekhyun, there was nothing more comforting than the beat and its softness and the way the tone shifts from one to another of his favorite song. Even the slightest change in pitch and key from the song is music that can lull him to sleep.

But Baekhyun knows this song too well. His heart knows every word, every guitar strum, even every pause and stop that he also knows exactly when a sound does not belong. So when a strange beat of drum followed his favorite line, he was sure as hell something was not right.

He sleepily reached for his phone and tapped the pause button. The sound and light from his speakers turned off, but he could still hear something. It did not exactly sound bad, no. It was loud, yes, but it _is music_ , and it was good.

However, loud music at two in the morning, no matter how good it sounds, was not exactly pleasing for Baekhyun.

Baekhyun was really so close to drifting to sleep that he debated with himself whether to just pretend he did not hear anything. But his mark started to throb, like it always does at random times at night for a week now, sometimes at day, usually whenever his neighbor wakes him up. It did not really hurt, but it was uncomfortable. It just felt like it wanted attention, and if Baekhyun could pretend he did not hear his neighbor’s loud music, well, he could not pretend his mark was not bothering him at all.

Groaning, he got up and fetched his slippers.

“It’s that neighbor again,” he muttered under his breath, as his mind started counting the number of times this neighbor has disturbed him for the past week since he moved in.

_How can someone so new in the neighborhood be this inconsiderate?_ Baekhyun just could not believe his next-door’s guts.

When he opened his apartment door and the cold air touched his skin through his thin pajamas, he internally contemplated whether to go back inside to grab his jacket, but another loud drum thump had him walking fast towards his neighbor’s door. He just wanted to get this over with.

He rang the doorbell twice, but no one was coming.

_Maybe it was not working?_ he thought. _Or maybe his music was too loud for him to hear his doorbell ringing._

A few seconds of impatience later, Baekhyun decided to knock, softly at first until even his knuckles started to slightly hurt.

When his neighbor finally opened the door, he noticed how his eyes widened, and how he abruptly let go of the door knob, and reached for his left wrist like it was hurting. Baekhyun thought of asking what was wrong because it looked like he was pressing too hard against his skin, but he felt his own mark throb again.

“I’m sorry,” his neighbor spoke, even before he could say his complaint, “It’s the noise again, and I’m sorry… again.”

Baekhyun bit his lip and felt a pang of guilt at the look of sincere apology plastered on his neighbor’s face. _Why is he the one feeling guilty all of a sudden?_

“Just tone down the,” he paused for a while, thinking of the right word, “the music.”

He saw a glint of sparkle in his neighbor’s eyes, and it puzzled him a bit because Baekhyun felt like the taller was okay having him at his door. But why would he be? Maybe he just imagined it, or maybe because his neighbor was expecting Baekhyun to be mad and lash out at him, so in the end, Baekhyun overlooked it.

The neighbor nodded, and muttered another apology and an almost-inaudible _“good night”_ to him.

When he closed the door to his unit, Baekhyun released the breath he did not know he was holding. He was not sure if he said his goodbyes properly or if he wished the tall boy a good night as well. Heck, he did not even know how he managed to take the steps back to his door. He held his chest tightly, as the beating of his heart slowly returned to normal, along with the fading itch on the skin where his soulmark is tattooed.

He still did not know how a certain lanky boy, with his loud music and his low voice could have this so much effect on his heart and his skin. Baekhyun was wondering if it was possible for someone to be allergic to certain sounds.

He pulled the long sleeves of his pajamas a little higher to reveal his soulmark and go through its words, as if he does not have it memorized yet. Even the way it was written is carved in his mind – all the spaces and the curves of letters of the two lines around his pulse.

_Where have you been_

_all this time?_

He traced the words, as his mind tried to remember his song — _their song_ . He recalled the first time he heard it exactly a week ago now, maybe around the same time as tonight. He could hear it inside his head as if it was playing right at that instance for him, so he knew it was real. He might have thought that he was dreaming the first time, but he was sure it was the song. He _knew_ it was the song.

For a split second, he also wondered if a tall boy with big ears could be his soulmate. Maybe he heard the song that night, too. But he pushed the idea back. The words around his wrists do not come close to the apologies his neighbor always tells him during their only interactions for the past week he has been here. Damn, he still remembers the first time he saw his neighbor. And he was sure as hell there wasn’t even the slightest music during that time. No, none at all.

And if ever, Baekhyun supposes, that they really are soulmates, his neighbor would have said something, right? After all, they have already met. By now, he would have known if he heard their song playing the first time they saw each other. But the boy next door never mentioned anything, Baekhyun bitterly thought, never even told him his name.

In his attempt to completely erase the thought from his mind, he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

He was sure he did not turn his music back on, so he thought he might be dreaming a little while later when he heard a guitar being played. He felt the familiar warmth around his wrist, but the inaudible words sang with the music was too comforting for him to care anymore.

This was his song playing. _Their song_.

_This_ , he thought, half-consciously, _is my favorite song._

He let himself drift further to sleep, content with the feeling that his soulmate was somewhere near, maybe next door, listening to the same sound. _He will find him soon._

  
  
  


The next morning, Baekhyun woke up a little late which meant he could not prepare his breakfast before going to work. One missed breakfast won’t kill, Baekhyun knew that, but he skipped dinner last night, so he was really hungry.

_If I walk really fast now, I can stop by somewhere and order a sandwich or something,_ he thought as he almost ran his way out of the house.

But before he could even take two steps outside, he slightly tripped accidentally over a paper bag on the floor.

He hastily picked it up– a little annoyed that he was wasting seconds for this bag. He opened it to take a peek inside, hoping to find where the package came from and who owns it, but what he found was two nicely wrapped sandwiches and a neatly folded piece of brown paper instead. He carefully picked the note up and was greeted by a short message that ridiculously made his heart beat a second faster with every word.

_Sorry again for the trouble la_ _st night. I hope you have a good morning today~!_

– _Chanyeol._

_Chanyeol._ Baekhyun read again. _Chanyeol_ . And again. _Chanyeol_. And again.

“Chanyeol,” he whispered.

And he was almost sure his voice sounded too accustomed with the name like he has spoken it a hundred times before even when he did not know any other person with that name. It was so familiar that even the parting of his lips as he says the name was like letting himself breathe the air he was holding for too long.

Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he was just really hungry, but the sandwich surprisingly tasted good. If he was being completely honest, it tasted _too_ good that he finished all of it even before he arrived at work. It was ridiculous, he thought, just how delicious could a sandwich turn out to be?

It was not just a good morning for Baekhyun. Maybe the sandwich was just a start because his day went really well. The weather was good as the sun smiled in the morning and bid him goodbye in the afternoon. He thought the day could not get any better. But that night, in his dreams, he swore a sweet voice blended in slow strums of guitar sang him to sleep.

“Just a second!” Baekhyun shouted as he wiped his hands in a rush to open the door.

But as he was in front of his door, holding the knob, he felt the familiar burning on his wrist.

_What’s wrong with me now?_ he thought. His mind was starting to list down all the possibilities, but he could not let himself settle on that yet. Whatever it was, he knew it could wait.

_It will come when it is right._

He pulled down the sleeves of his sweater to cover his mark as he opened the door, thinking it would also cover up whatever discomfort he was feeling.

Baekhyun had always believed he had a healthy heart. Every year, during his regular hospital visits for his annual physical check-up, he was always told how healthy and stable his heart was. He never doubted that, he had no reason to. But right at that moment, in front of a tall boy with disheveled hair, he thought he needed a second opinion on his heart’s condition.

Because how can his heart act up out of nowhere when it has been okay his entire life? He was sure it was not normal how jumpy his heart has been getting, as if it wanted to escape out of his chest and be free.

“Hey,” the man in front of him spoke, soft and deep – just loud enough for him to hear and just loud enough to send goosebumps around his body.

For a second or two, Baekhyun’s mind was completely blank. He just stared at Chanyeol’s face with his heart thumping at what felt like a hundred beats per second.

And then Chanyeol smiled. _He smiled, he smiled, he smiled_ , and Baekhyun was dead and instantly brought back to life and reality.

“Hey,” Baekhyun awkwardly replied.

Chanyeol brought up the empty lunch box he was holding and handed it to Baekhyun.

“You didn’t have to,” the taller said, “But thank you. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.”

He could not help but bashfully smile at Chanyeol’s words. He said it was one of the best, and even though Baekhyun was sure he might be overreacting, it still felt nice to be appreciated. With shaking hands, Baekhyun accepted the bag, and when his fingers slightly brushed Chanyeol’s, he thought he suddenly felt a spark between them, but it could not be. He must be imagining things.

“You also didn’t have to, you know,” he replied, and when he saw the confusion in Chanyeol’s eyes, he continued, “The sandwich the other day.”

“It was just right,” Chanyeol said, “I kept disturbing your sleep at night.”

Baekhyun quickly shook his head.

“It’s all good now,” he assured, to which Chanyeol answered with a sheepish smile.

Baekhyun felt a slight burn around his wrist. He was almost sure something was wrong with him, but why doesn’t it feel wrong at all?

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” he asked, biting his lips as soon as the words slipped out.

The astonishment was evident in Chanyeol’s face as he circled his right hand around his left wrist, pressing his skin. Baekhyun almost regretted whatever he said because Chanyeol looked uncomfortable, but before he could even take his words back, the taller spoke.

“I’d honestly love to.”

And whatever was echoing inside Baekhyun’s head, all the doubts and questions combined, were instantly pushed back and ignored because nothing was more important to Baekhyun that moment than Chanyeol’s smile and how good it made him feel knowing he was the reason for it.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**II**

**_first date_ **

_ Promise me that you'll be okay _

_ Even when I'm a mess, you won’t look away. _

_ I don’t know whether it is right, _

_ But I'll dream of you tonight. _

* * *

Contrary to Baekhyun’s first impression, Chanyeol was actually a fun guy to talk t o, a little shy at first, but strangely, Baekhyun instantly became comfortable around him which probably eased the taller up a bit eventually.

_ “It felt like I have known you for a long time,” Chanyeol told him, and Baekhyun could not help but be surprised at how accurate the statement was because he felt exactly the same thing. _

Every now and then, Baekhyun’s mark would throb or itch or burn. He wondered whether it was just mere coincidence that it happened every time Chanyeol was around or whenever the thought of the taller would cross his mind.  _ But just for the record _ , Baekhyun pointed, it’s  _ not like he is thinking about him all the time _ .

But as much as Baekhyun hates to admit it, he has been spending a lot of time with Chanyeol recently. And no, he did not see it as a bad thing. Chanyeol never failed to amuse him. Like that one time the taller was tapping his fingers randomly on his kitchen table, and Baekhyun thought it sounded as good as a song. Or that time when Chanyeol ate all the pineapples on Baekhyun’s pizza because the delivery man mixed up the orders and gave them Hawaiian instead of Pepperoni. Or Chanyeol’s coffee-making skills,  _ god _ , his coffee makes Baekhyun’s mornings a whole lot better; he could wake up at five in the morning everyday if it means he would have that coffee for breakfast.

Baekhyun looked at the tall man sitting beside him, his legs stretched out and half of his feet already under the coffee table. They had just finished watching a movie when Chanyeol ended up sleeping on his own left hand propped over the sofa’s armrest.

This was Chanyeol’s idea. He has been suggesting two of his favorite movies for days now, but Baekhyun was too unmotivated to watch them alone, so the taller thought it would be best to watch the movies together instead. And he was too persistent and eager that Baekhyun just could not say no.

“This is an animated movie, right?” Baekhyun remembered asking.

“Mmm,” Chanyeol hummed, nodding, “The other one is, too.”

“And it’s in Japanese?” he confirmed.

Chanyeol just looked at him as if he could not believe where Baekhyun was coming from.

“I swear this is a great movie,” Chanyeol insisted, “And the soundtrack! The music used in this film is amazing. Do you know that the director of this movie personally requested a ban—”

“Okay, okay,” Baekhyun replies, sighing in defeat.

The twinkle in Chanyeol’s eyes was enough for Baekhyun to think that his time was worth it. If he’d get that for every boring movie he’ll watch, he’d gladly spend his weekends in front of his crappy television, watching long subtitled movies.

Baekhyun smiled at the thought.  _ Perhaps it wouldn’t be that lonely with a company _ , he wondered as he looked at the taller who was now sleeping soundly beside him.

_ How can someone sleep on his favorite movie? _ he asked himself, as he carefully moved to turn the television off. He picked up the empty packs of chips and used tissue papers. He could not believe he actually cried.  _ Damn _ , he  _ did _ cry over an animated movie in a foreign language. If all of these movies are  _ this _ good, he supposes he has been missing so much in his life just because of his hasty generalization and bandwagon hate on such films.

Chanyeol looked peaceful, and Baekhyun could not help but notice his closed eyes and how beautiful his lashes are, and how come he has overlooked it before. He admires how flawlessly sculpted the taller’s nose was, and how perfect every part of him looked. Baekhyun adored the little moles scattered on Chanyeol’s face and wondered if they were like stars.

_ Will these form constellations if I trace them? _ he thought. He unconsciously lifted his hands up to the taller’s face, wanting to touch him, but as soon as his fingers were already so close, his wrist started to ache as if to stop him from reaching Chanyeol’s skin.

He quickly pulled his sweater up to look at his wrist.

He breathed heavily as he touched the letters staining his skin. And deep inside him, he knew what he wanted and he hoped — damn he was hoping, hoping,  _ hoping _ so much — that these are the same words, the same song, the same  _ feeling  _ that Chanyeol has. 

With his heart hammering inside his chest, Baekhyun looked at the taller’s left hand where his mark would have been. He has been spending quite a lot of time with Chanyeol, but he has never seen the latter’s mark clearly. He has seen points of letters and little stains of ink, but nothing enough to have formed something coherent.

He reached to touch the taller’s hand instead. The tips of his fingers brushed slightly over Chanyeol’s veins, and he bit his lower lip as he mentally smacked himself from thinking how beautiful these lines were.

"Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun almost fell down the couch upon hearing his name if not for the strong arm that quickly wrapped around his waist and the rough hand that grasped his wrist.

“Hey, hey,” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun felt his heart ramming inside his chest. He could feel Chanyeol’s fingers burn his skin as if his touch was piercing through the thin cloth of Baekhyun’s sweater.

Slowly, Chanyeol lifted him back up, with the hold on his wrist slightly freeing.

Before he could realize it, they were already sitting too close to each other. Chanyeol’s hand was still placed at the side of his waist, and his hand was gripping the taller’s shoulder like it was the one thing that holds him up.

“You okay?” Chanyeol asked, low and almost muffled.

But Baekhyun heard it.  _ Clearly. _ And he wanted so much to answer. He wanted to tell him that he was okay.  _ Yes, _ he was  _ very  _ okay. Probably even better than the best he’s ever been.

But Baekhyun was far too gone that all he could think of were Chanyeol’s eyes and how they were looking at him as if they were seeing something from him that he himself couldn’t. Chanyeol was staring at him as if he was lost and found himself in Baekhyun’s eyes.

All Baekhyun could think of right at that instant was that he just couldn’t possibly answer Chanyeol with phrases when those round eyes glistened like they wanted more than just words. So with shaking hands struggling to even keep himself together, Baekhyun raised his hand up from the taller’s shoulder to his face, lightly connecting the taller’s tiny moles.

Baekhyun leaned in closer until he was almost drowning at Chanyeol's gaze. So he closed his eyes to save himself as his lips landed on Chanyeol's.

The tall boy was still for a moment that Baekhyun almost pulled away if not for the shaking hands that suddenly clutched his waist, pulling him closer.

Chanyeol tasted like caramel popcorn, potato chips and cucumber juice. And for the record, Baekhyun hates cucumbers to the point that he’d rather die than taste even the slightest of them. But with Chanyeol’s lips? Then he would gladly die a happy death.

They were both breathless and shaking when they pulled away. It was just then that Baekhyun realized what he did. He couldn’t even look at Chanyeol’s face, afraid of something he couldn’t exactly point out. He was scared he’d be rejected and left and on top of it all, he was scared to be misunderstood.

He bit his lower lip, weighing whether to push through or hold himself back from asking the question that has been waiting to spill from his lips for days now.

But Chanyeol held his chin up. His eyes searching for Baekhyun’s, and when he finally found them, staring right back into his, he smiled — genuinely and affectionately — like he himself had been waiting for that moment for a long time now.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**III**

**_always ends_ **

_ Before I fell into your grace, _

_ I’ve walked along this empty space. _

_ Instead of leaving you behind, _

_ We’ve looked for things we couldn’t find. _

* * *

There was a certain kind of longing that you feel after meeting and parting with someone you have been waiting for all your life. It was like every second felt like an entire day of being away and your heart ached with every minute. And the funny thing was that you miss him more because he has just been with you. You miss him more because he has just held you and kissed you and made you feel that he was there.

Baekhyun clutched his chest, feeling the foreign ache inside. It had been exactly four hours and six minutes since Chanyeol went home and Baekhyun rolled over and over on his bed, trying to process everything that happened.

_ “Was that,” Baekhyun started, “...okay?” _

_ Chanyeol let out a breathy giggle. It was as if he was relieved and happy at the same time. _

_ “Mmm,” the taller hummed. _

_ And never has Baekhyun’s heart felt that full and happy. _

That night in Baekhyun’s sleep, he dreamt of the heat around his wrist and a song he had never heard before but sounded just as familiar as his song. It was almost like it  _ really  _ was  _ his song _ . But oddly enough, he was sure that it was not.

  
  


When Baekhyun woke up the next day, the first thing he thought of was also the last one he did before he slept — Chanyeol. And he could not hide the smile that creeped on his face as he reached for his phone to greet the taller a good morning, as if they were not separated by a fairly thin wall.

But what he did not expect was to see a message from his best friend from college, Jongdae.

Living alone while he was still a student meant continuous changes for Baekhyun. He regularly shifted from one part-time job to another, moved in and out of dormitories around the university, even jumped from scholarship to scholarship just so he could continue supporting his studies. To Baekhyun, Jongdae had been pretty much the only constant thing he had in the university. 

It was hard for Baekhyun to open up to people, but with Jongdae , everything felt natural.  And even though they rarely talked after graduation, their friendship was still there. Saying Baekhyun missed Jongdae was an understatement.

**Jongdae:**

Baekhyunnie!!!

You free today?

**Baekhyun:**

Good morning to you, too.

Yeah, are we making plans today?

What's up?

**Jongdae:**

I'd like you to meet someone hehe

See you at around 3?

Same place?

**Baekhyun:**

How sure are you I’d say yes?

Just kidding.

You're lucky I love you

and I missed you.

See you. ;-)

Baekhyun could not wait to see his best friend… and whoever he was bringing along. He could not help but wonder who it could be. Between the two of them, Jongdae has always been the friendlier one. Everywhere they go, Jongdae knows somebody. He was just really a people person. But not one of Jongdae’s friends came close to being the very reason why they would just meet up. 

A sudden beep from his phone interrupted his thoughts.

Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat upon reading Chanyeol's name on his notifications. With shaking fingers, he tapped the message.

**Chanyeol:**

Morning. :-)

I accidentally made two cups of coffee.

Baekhyun smiled a little, just a little, too wide than he used to.  _ Is this really how it feels? Will it feel like this all the time? _

**Baekhyun:**

I will ~accidentally~ make two toasts.

**Chanyeol:**

That's such a waste.

Then…

Can I have the other one?

**Baekhyun:**

As long as I get the coffee.

**Chanyeol:**

Deal.

Time seemed to fly extra fast with Chanyeol around. Breakfast easily turned to lunch and now they only have minutes left until Baekhyun has to prepare for his meeting with Jongdae.

“You’re going to be late,” Chanyeol told him.

Baekhyun just shook his head, “Five more minutes.”

They were both sprawled over the sofa. No television, no music, there weren’t any phones being used either. It was just them — with Baekhyun’s legs over Chanyeol’s lap, and the taller’s hand gently massaging them.

For a while there was silence.  _ Comfortable _ . Until Chanyeol broke it.

“I played for you last night,” Chanyeol started.

Baekhyun paused for a good few seconds, processing what Chanyeol had said. Until he remembered the music playing in his dream last night.

“Oh that was you!” he said, clasping his hands together, “It was so good, I thought I was dreaming!”

Chanyeol did not answer and just looked at him when he replied. Baekhyun was confused.  _ Why is Chanyeol looking at him like that? Did he say anything wrong? Did he  _ do _ anything wrong? _

And then there came the sadness again. But this time it was unwelcomed.  _ Awkward.  _ Baekhyun decided to speak up.

“Chanyeol?” he called — silently — trying to test the waters.

The taller looked at him as if he was waiting for Baekhyun to say something more. But Baekhyun got nothing else to say, and when Chanyeol realized that, he pushed the smaller’s legs off his lap — gently and a little too carefully.

“You have to go now. You’re meeting Jongdae soon,” he replied, his tone sounded hurt that it was almost unbearable for Baekhyun to hear.

Baekhyun nodded, and with the little courage inside of him, he asked, “I’ll see you later?”

Chanyeol said a faint hum before standing up and going straight to the door. He did not even look back or showed even the slightest hesitation of going that it pained Baekhyun to watch him walk away like that when he did not even know what went wrong.

However, he really could not do anything about it, so he chose to let him be for now. Besides, he should be rushing to meet Jongdae at the moment. He mentally promised himself he would talk to Chanyeol later.

When Baekhyun arrived at the cafe, Jongdae was already there. He had just pushed the door open, had not yet even been fully inside, but he already heard the roaring laughter of his unshameful best friend that it was not at all difficult to look for wherever he was sitting.

There was an unfamiliar boy seated beside Jongdae, and Baekhyun assumed it was who the latter was talking about when he said he wanted Baekhyun to meet someone. 

Jongdae instantly spotted him walking over to them, so he stood up and welcomed his best friend in his arms.

“I missed you,” Jongdae said, a greeting Baekhyun really loved to hear.

“Missed you, too,” Baekhyun responded, rubbing Jongdae’s back as he hugged him back.

After their greetings, Baekhyun sat at the seat in front of them and noticed that Jongdae already got him his favorite drink and his usual cinnamon bun.

“So....” Baekhyun said, eyeing Jongdae’s  _ companion _ .

Jongdae gave him a really wide and excited smile.

“Baekhyun, this is Minseok,” Jongdae introduced, “and babe, this is Baekhyun, my best friend.”

Minseok offered his hand to Baekhyun which the latter accepted in delight.

“I’ve been dying to meet you,” Minseok told him. “Jongdae talks about you a lot.”

Baekhyun smiled. He seemed like a really nice guy.

“So,  _ babe _ , huh?” Baekhyun teased his best friend. “Since when?”

“It’s been around a week now since we’ve met,” Jongdae answered. “You did not miss much, don’t worry!”

Baekhyun was taken aback.  _ A week?!  _ If Baekhyun were to be asked, he’d say that at first glance, he would think the couple have known each other for a year at the very least. 

“You look like I just told you I killed somebody,” Jongdae loudly joked. 

“Jongdae!” he exclaimed. “Someone might hear you and think you really did something horrible!”

Jongdae laughed. “ _ You _ look like you heard me admit that I  _ did _ something horrible!”

“I’m just shocked,” Baekhyun explained. “A week? Really, Dae?”

“Why not?” his best friend asked, almost mimicking the shock on Baekhyun’s face.

“Don’t you think it’s a little too fast?” he replied a little more calmly, then turned to Minseok. “No offense meant.”

The other man just smiled, and shook his head. “None taken, don’t worry.”

Instead of answering him, Jongdae pulled up the left sleeve of his button-up, and then reached for Minseok’s left hand, showing their wrists to Baekhyun.

“This is our marks, Baekhyun,” he explained. “Same lines from the same song.”

Baekhyun looked at their wrists and at the words inked on them which were almost identical except for the way they were written. He could clearly recognize his best friend’s handwriting marked on Minseok’s skin, and he assumed Jongdae’s mark was written with Minseok’s penmanship.

“We have known since that day we met,” Minseok spoke, and it was enough of an explanation to Baekhyun. The  _ week  _ now clearly made sense.

“Oh,” Baekhyun replied, touching his own wrist. “I almost forgot about the marks.”

He meant it. He  _ certainly  _ almost forgot about the marks. And he mentally cursed himself for forgetting.

“Hey, it's all good!” his best friend assured him. “You suddenly turned pale! You don't have to feel bad!”

But Baekhyun knew that this was not entirely because of the couple in front of him. He hated the fact that the uncomfortable knot forming inside his stomach was not because he missed the possibility of Jongdae and Minseok being soulmates.

It is because he almost missed the possibility that someone might  _ not _ be his.

“We are actually very lucky because we have exactly the same one,” Jongdae said. “Others have different lines, but of course it was from the same song!”

“It’s not like they won’t know though,” Minseok added. “You just know your song. It’s like your heart recognizes it or something.”

“Cheesy,” Jongdae teased. “How about you, Baek?”

Baekhyun was taken out of his trance by his best friend’s voice.

“How are you?” he asked.

Baekhyun bit his lip, debating whether he should tell Jongdae about Chanyeol when the latter spoke again.

“Just spill it,” he said. “I know you want to tell me something. We can send Minseok away if it makes you more comfortable.”

He looked at Minseok who just nodded, assuring him it was okay, but Baekhyun shook his head.

“It’s okay if Minseok stays,” he replied. “I sometimes really hate it that you know me too well, Dae.”

His best friend just laughed at him. “Otherwise I won’t be your best friend and you know that.”

He took a deep breath. This is Jongdae after all. He knew Baekhyun maybe even more than Baekhyun knew himself, and Jongdae always,  _ always, _ knew what to do.

“I met someone,” he started. “And I really like him.”

“What?!?! Why didn’t you tell me?” Jongdae shrieked. “I can’t believe you also found your soulmate already!”

Baekhyun hesitated for a while, before smiling sadly at his best friend.

“That’s the thing, Jongdae,” he replied. “I’m not sure if he is.”

Baekhyun ended up telling him everything — the abnormal pounding of his heart, the strange burning on his wrist, the clumsiness and the pace, and how it felt like everything was happening all at once but he was sure and certain. Well... until now.

“Then ask him,” Minseok, who has been quiet the entire time, abruptly said. “That is the only way.”

“But I’m scared,” Baekhyun reasoned out.

“Then would you rather spend every day doubting?” he answered.

“Just ask him, Baekhyun,” Jongdae agreed. “It will be for the best.”

Baekhyun nodded. There was nothing wrong with asking, right? Who knows, they might actually have the same song written on their wrists. And if ever that they didn’t, he thinks it was for the best. At least, he found out before feelings get too much. And sooner or later he would move on and find his own soulmate, and Chanyeol would find his.

_ It will be the best for both of them. _


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**IV**

**_fiction_ **

_Can you feel me in these moments?_

_I’ll keep on searching ‘til I no longer can._

_Cold and hollow, all this time,_

_Would you follow all the signs?_

_Come tomorrow, I’ll be fine._

_I thought I found you, but I don’t understand._

* * *

Baekhyun did not know how he was feeling as he traveled home. It was a mixture of nervousness and excitement and fear. He did not even know how he managed to even take the steps back because he was really so close to just breaking down.

When he reached his apartment, he quickly washed his face, as if it would help ease his mind from its worries and its questions.

When he thought he was ready, he grabbed his phone to send a message to Chanyeol, but it seemed that the taller was also thinking the same thing.

**Chanyeol:**

Text me when you get home?

Can we talk?

Baekhyun was shaking as he typed in his reply.

**Baekhyun:**

Just got home.

I’ll go there in a few.

**Chanyeol:**

Alright.

I’ll see you then.

The distance from his unit to Chanyeol’s seemed too far for him as he walked, and he did not know whether that was a good or a bad thing. A part of him wanted to just run, so he could finally get this over with. However, another part of him dreaded what was coming simply because he did not know what it would be.

He slowly caressed the ink on his skin as he stood in front of Chanyeol’s door.

_How bad can it be, right?_ he was telling himself. _It’s just either_ us _or not._

With a trembling hand, Baekhyun knocked.

He was welcomed by Chanyeol in his normal oversized shirt, but sporting an extra messy hair and an obviously tired face. Baekhyun was almost sure Chanyeol was as frustrated about this as much as he was, or maybe even more.

Baekhyun had been inside Chanyeol’s apartment a few times already, and it had always been a little unorganized. However, this time, it was a complete chaos. Chanyeol hurriedly picked up pieces of paper scattered around his table as Baekhyun followed him to sit on the couch.

They stayed quiet for a while — both trying to find the right words and exact moment to say them— both seemingly too afraid to do something wrong.

_Should I just go for it and ask?_ Baekhyun was thinking. But before he could even make up his mind, Chanyeol stood up and sat in front of his keyboards.

“Can I play for you?”

Baekhyun didn’t know why he was feeling nervous. It was not like it was Chanyeol’s first time playing music for him, but somehow, the tone of the latter’s voice just made Baekhyun feel a little scared. But still, he nodded in response.

He watched as Chanyeol tried out a few keys, before finally playing.

It was the first time Baekhyun watched Chanyeol play the musical keyboard. It has always been his guitar with him until now, but oddly enough, the song sounds familiar.

Baekhyun felt a slight itch around his wrist, and he has never been more confused his entire life.

_It’s now or never, I’ve been waiting so long._

_Tried for a lifetime, but I never belonged._

The song sounds familiar and Baekhyun was sure he had heard it before, but there was something off about it that he could not quite understand.

Chanyeol looked as if he knew the song too well, and Baekhyun was terrified at the possibility that had been whispering inside his head.

The taller’s eyes which had been closed the entire first lines slowly opened to look gently at Baekhyun and it almost hurt him as he listened to Chanyeol sing.

_Are you with me, is this fiction?_

_I’ve always known you since the story began._

When Chanyeol spoke the final words of the song, Baekhyun’s heart was pounding like crazy, and his wrist was burning. He was so close to crying.

Chanyeol stood up from where he was sitting and sat beside him, looking even wearier than he was earlier.

“Have you heard the song before?” Chanyeol asked. His voice was strained as if it pains him to ask it.

Halfway through the song, Baekhyun knew he had heard it not too long ago, so he nodded. And Baekhyun did not miss how Chanyeol’s eyes glistened in a slight spark of hope.

“Last night. You played it last night,” Baekhyun answered, and it hurt him because he knew — and _god,_ how he wished he didn’t — that it was not the answer Chanyeol wanted to hear.

He watched as Chanyeol’s shaking right hand reached for his left wrist to remove his gold watch.

“The first time I saw you was the day I moved in,” Chanyeol started. “I was busy putting all my stuff inside when my friend, Yixing, told me he had just finished a song and wanted me to hear it first. You passed hurriedly by my door exactly at the same moment the music played, and I just knew then that it was my song and that it was you.”

Chanyeol lifted his left hand up, showing Baekhyun his bare wrist.

“That was my song, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun feared having to look but he had to. Inked on Chanyeol’s skin were two lines from the song he played just a moment ago.

_I’ll keep on searching_

_‘til I no longer can._

As much as he did not want to admit and accept it, he knew it was not _his_ song.

But what stressed Baekhyun more was not the fact that Chanyeol’s song played exactly when he saw him. It was something else.

“This,” he mumbled, touching the taller’s wrist. “It’s my handwriting.”

Because Chanyeol was right. 

  
If there was one thing Baekhyun hated more than the truth that Chanyeol was not his soulmate, it was knowing that _he_ , in fact, _is_ Chanyeol’s.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

**V**

**_to eternity_ **

_ Where have you been all this time? _

_ I felt the burdens I left behind. _

_ In a dark flooded room, tried to swim, _

_ But I’m falling and flailing, _

_ My voice now is falling; _

_ Help me find my way from here. _

* * *

“It can’t be,” Baekhyun muttered. “It just can’t.”

He was so confused that he had to let go of the taller’s hand as if it was something he was afraid of.

“But why?” Chanyeol asked with eyes piercing in agony that Baekhyun loathed himself for acting that way.

“It’s not my song, Yeol,” he said softly.

And he watched as Chanyeol’s weary face turned into frighten and bewilderment.

“What do you mean?” the taller followed.

“It’s just not,” Baekhyun answered. “I don’t know. I didn’t know it would be like this.”

Chanyeol opened his mouth only to close it again, and Baekhyun was sure he was hesitant to say whatever it was that he was about to.

He saw Chanyeol picking up his watch, putting it back around his left wrist where his mark is before turning to Baekhyun.

With eyes full of doubt, he pleaded, “Can I kiss you?”

It was sudden and confusing, and Baekhyun was not sure how, but he understood.

And it hurt him because he knew he should have said no. He knew he should have told him that it was not right. But how could he do that when it ached him that it does not at all feel wrong?

Who knows, maybe this was what they both needed. So for what Baekhyun thought was the last time, he nodded. With eyes closed, he patiently waited until he could feel Chanyeol’s lips on his. Just like the first time, the kiss sent shivers down his spine and warmth around his wrist that almost made him completely forget how flawed the situation was.

The kiss was light and slow. Baekhyun could feel tiny droplets on his cheeks and he knew Chanyeol was hurting too much that he was crying. He could taste the bitterness and uncertainty with every move of the taller’s lips, so he held his hand tightly and securely. They still had that moment, and even though it would not make up for what could have been, Baekhyun hoped it would somehow be enough for now.

  
  


It broke him to leave Chanyeol like that, but no matter how right it felt to be there, it just was not. There were simply things that no matter how much the heart wanted, the universe could not give. And it was this for Baekhyun.  _ It’s Chanyeol _ — the one person he will always choose, but sadly, it was just not his choice to make.

That night, Baekhyun fell asleep while thinking of what would be the best for both of them. In his dream, he was holding Chanyeol’s hand and nothing could ever fit perfectly in between his little fingers than Chanyeol’s rough ones. In his dream, he heard Chanyeol singing, and in his dream, he was singing his song. 

  
  


The next morning, Baekhyun finally made up his mind.

If there was one thing the two of them needed the most, Baekhyun thought it would be to be away from each other. So he decided to move out of his apartment and maybe out of Chanyeol’s life. He was doing that not only to help Chanyeol forget him but also to help himself. He had a soulmate somewhere, and he must be waiting for Baekhyun too. And Baekhyun knew he would not be able to find  _ him  _ if he stayed here.

So Baekhyun packed his things, from his clothes to his books and from picture frames to spoons. It was funny how he has so many useless things that he could not let go of. He really hates his sentimental self sometimes.

He found a photo album of his old pictures from when mobile phone cameras and digital storage were not a thing yet. He found the cute little corgi stuffed toy Jongdae gave him on his birthday and even the card that came along with it. There was also a little box of receipts and movie tickets and post-it notes.

It was funny how much memories these random and pointless things hold. And it was those memories that kept him from throwing all of these away.

As he browsed the notes he kept — some from his high school friends, one from his brother, a couple from his past lovers — Baekhyun caught sight of a note that did not look as old as the others. The paper was not too crumpled and was not yet discolored either.

He could feel his heart react upon recognition of who it was from. He picked the neatly folded paper up, and the moment it came into contact with his fingers, he felt the skin around his wrist throb.

He unfolded the tiny piece of paper and found Chanyeol’s handwriting inside. It was the note he gave him when he left a sandwich on his front door the day after he told him to tone down his music.

_ Sorry again for the trouble last night. I hope you have a good morning today~! _

– _ Chanyeol. _

His heart was aching with the thought that this was the only thing he could keep, that this would be the only thing left of Chanyeol once he finally goes away.

He was about to fold the paper and keep it back inside the box when a stabbing pain hit his wrist badly. He carefully examined his skin and looked at his mark. Of course it did not look like anything hurt it. Baekhyun was somehow getting used to the uncomfort his soulmark gives him sometimes. He made a mental note of asking Jongdae if it was normal when he realized how nothing seemed to actually turn out ordinary when it comes to him and destiny.

He let his fingers graze the letters on his wrist — through every dot and every curve. And then suddenly, something was different.

Baekhyun had lived twenty-five years of his life with this mark tattooed on his skin. He has stared into these lines at nights when he could not sleep. He has traced this ink with pencils in school when he was too bored to listen to class. He has rewritten this at the back of his notebook, trying to copy exactly how it was written. Baekhyun had always believed he had his mark engraved inside his head accurately, but looking at it now, he had realized that maybe not so.

He quickly picked up the half-folded piece of paper on his lap and went over the words written on it. Baekhyun could almost hear the thumping of his heart as he held the note with his right hand and placed it right beside his soulmark.

A slow strum of guitar suddenly played as Baekhyun realized what it was that he failed to see for a long time now.

And as he stared at the words inked on his skin and as his mind automatically read the words, a low and sweet voice sang with it.

_ Where have you been all this time _

_ I felt the burdens I left behind. _

Baekhyun had never ran that fast before, but he did not care.  _ Damn, _ he did not even knock and just barged into his next-door’s apartment. All he thought of at that instant was how much he wanted —  _ needed _ — to see Chanyeol.

Chanyeol stood up in shock the moment Baekhyun came in. They both stopped in their tracks, frozen. With tears forming in his eyes, Baekhyun felt the calmness of his heart and the comforting warmth around his wrist.

“The song,” Baekhyun started. “Was that you playing?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I wrote it.”

Baekhyun smiled at him. “You did?”

Chanyeol nodded slowly, took a deep breath and spoke.

“It’s for you.”

And right inside that old and dirty apartment, after all those days of just looking, Baekhyun has finally seen Chanyeol.

He walked the steps between them and stopped in front of the tall boy and smiled up at him. He took Chanyeol’s left hand and traced his fingers along the lines of his soulmark.

“I wrote this,” Baekhyun mumbled.

Then he lifted his own to show Chanyeol his mark for the very first time.

“And you wrote this,” Baekhyun continued, looking up at his soulmate.

With trembling hands, Chanyeol held his. The shock was evident in the taller’s eyes, but so was the relief and the passion and the love.

“I did,” he replied with a smile which Baekhyun gladly returned.

From his wrists down to his fingers and then finally up to his face, Chanyeol held him. He had looked at Baekhyun so lovingly like he adored him so much and could not believe that he was right there in front of him. He let his rough thumb brush over Baekhyun’s cheeks, and Baekhyun swore reality had never felt so good that it was like a dream to him.

When he looked up, Baekhyun instantly found Chanyeol’s eyes, and without thinking too much, he stood on his tiptoes, brought his hand up to the taller’s shoulders. He closed his eyes as he leaned in, and crashed their lips together.

It was a slow kiss at first, just like all the other kisses they have shared, but this one was certain. Every touch of their lips was a confirmation that it was true, and not one of them wanted to stop. With tighter grips and firmer clutches, the kiss became deeper until they were both drowning and yet they wanted more.

The only time they pulled away was also the only thing they could remember after the kiss. It was when Chanyeol had to lay Baekhyun down on his mattress. It was even instantly forgotten how they ended up on Chanyeol’s unmade bed in the first place.

Baekhyun’s mind was totally disoriented and all he could think of were Chanyeol’s hands and his lips and how they were craving for his touch and his kisses. But he need not wait more because Chanyeol was gladly willing to give all of that to him.

In between messy kisses and haste touches, Chanyeol clumsily took Baekhyun’s clothes off. Baekhyun was already a complete mess with just the kissing, and his body just decided not to care and let Chanyeol have him however the taller wanted to. 

Baekhyun could not think properly no matter how much he tried doing so. He did not even know where to put his hands until Chanyeol caught it and kissed his wrist, tracing his lips along the words painted on the smaller’s skin.

From his wrist, Chanyeol’s lips traveled all over his body. He made sure his lips stained every part of Baekhyun, and it was driving the smaller insane. With every kiss Chanyeol grazed over his body, he took with him bits of Baekhyun’s sanity and patience, leaving the smaller wanting for more. He left Baekhyun with even more marks than the one he has already had on his skin, declaring his claim far more than what cuffs around wrists can do.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun mumbled, slightly pulling the taller’s face away from his chest.

But Chanyeol was far too lost that he did not move away and continued sucking and kissing Baekhyun’s already swollen skin. 

“Chanyeol,” the smaller calls again, pleads, “ _ Chanyeol! _ ”

Finally, Chanyeol looked up at him with eyes full of care and tenderness. He planted a peck on Baekhyun's lips before holding his cheeks.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol kept asking before he entered him that Baekhyun felt as if the taller was asking himself and not him.

Baekhyun nodded. Everything with Chanyeol was certain, and the only time he has been more sure than this was when he accepted he loved him. And this was his love right here.

Chanyeol entered him slowly, with little fear and with great desire. It was Baekhyun’s first time and it hurt. But Chanyeol let his hands roam over Baekhyun’s body — tickling his hides, pinching his nubs, caressing his back — which made the smaller forget the pain that came with it.

Baekhyun ran his fingers over the taller’s face and gripped his hair as he made love to him.

He held onto Chanyeol like he was his lifeline, and maybe he  _ really _ is. And Chanyeol held him just as firmly but with gentleness. It was like he knew Baekhyun was strong, but was still afraid of breaking him.

“Don’t hold back,” Baekhyun said, out of breath. “Please don’t hold back.”

With every push, Baekhyun embraced him tighter, looped his arms around his neck a little more securely. He needed to be constantly reminded that this was real and that this was happening. He needed to touch him, and feel the taller even more than the pleasure of having his length inside of him. Baekhyun needed to know Chanyeol will not disappear like the fading instrumental at the end of a song or the italicized characters at the end of a novel.

With eyes locked on Chanyeol’s and one hand clasped against the other's, Baekhyun felt Chanyeol fully, like he was a part of him and he was his, like the vein on his hands were the same veins where his blood flows and his breath was the same air he breathes in.

Soon enough, Baekhyun’s moans became even louder. And he was sure he was being too loud, but he could not even hear himself. It felt like he was running as he tried to reach something he wanted so badly.

"Let go," Chanyeol whispered, his lips against Baekhyun's ear. "Let go for me."

And Baekhyun did exactly that. With a silent wail, he let go of the pleasure building inside of him and let himself feel it entirely. But more than that, he had let go of himself and gave his all to the man in front of him. He had let Chanyeol have him wholly — to break and to mend over and over again.

Soon after, Chanyeol also reached his high– somewhere only Baekhyun could take him to. He buried his head on the nook of Baekhyun's neck as he groaned silently, chanting Baekhyun's name over and over like it was a mantra of some sort, like a spell he was casting upon himself.

The walls of the room were witnesses of the love they longed for, the love they finally have and the love they are finally ready to give.

In between ragged breaths past his shaky lips, Chanyeol whispered,  _ “You are so beautiful,”  _ and Baekhyun had never felt so bare yet so confident and assured in his entire life.

Because Baekhyun himself had also never felt more beautiful than when Chanyeol looked at him that moment – full of love and lust and certainty – like a promise he will never break, like a treasure he will never dare lose.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

**VI**

**_awoken_ **

_Chasing time, past our prime_

_Can’t rewind, and we’re back to where we start_

_There was a time when my heart was beating_

_So, so loud—_

_Loud enough to wake the night._

* * *

The first thing Baekhyun realized when he woke up the next day was that the other side of the bed was empty. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest as his stupid head tried to list down all the possibilities — from the bad to the worst case possible.

If what happened was a dream, then he did not want to wake up. He closed his eyes and let himself drift back to sleep.

The next time Baekhyun woke up, the view from the bedroom window told him it was already late. He looked around and could not explain how relieving it was to see Chanyeol sitting at the edge of the bed with his guitar in his hand, testing out a few strums.

Baekhyun slowly shifted to sit, and the taller boy instantly looked at him after sensing his slight movement.

“Hey,” he greeted.

Chanyeol placed his guitar down and smiled at him.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Never better,” Baekhyun answered. “What are you doing?”

The taller shook his head.

“Nothing,” he replied. “Just trying out stuff.”

Baekhyun crawled to the edge of the bed and settled beside Chanyeol where he could feel the taller’s warmth around him.

“Can I ask you something, Yeol?” he said, reaching for Chanyeol’s hand to play with his fingers, hiding his worry.

“What is it?” Chanyeol replied, holding his hand still and firm.

“My song,” he started, trying to act brave to feed his curiosity. “You told me you wrote it for me.”

“Yeah, I did,” Chanyeol answered.

“When?” Baekhyun asked. “And why would you write something for me?”

Chanyeol paused for a while, as if he was thinking, before he answered.

“Do you remember what I told you on that day when I found out you were my soulmate?” he asked.

Baekhyun instantly nodded in response. Chanyeol let go of his hand and picked his guitar up before speaking again.

“The night of that same day, this melody,” he explained, then strummed the first few seconds of his song on his guitar.

“It kept playing inside my head,” he continued. “It bothered me so much because it felt like it was a song I have always known even though it was actually the first time I am hearing it. And it’s funny because when I grabbed a pen and a paper, the words just instantly flowed out like they have always been there.”

Baekhyun realized Chanyeol was actually pertaining to his first night at the apartment complex. And that night was just as memorable to him.

“I heard it that night,” Baekhyun suddenly spoke out. “I realized it just now, but I heard it that night. In my sleep. I thought I was dreaming, but it was there. Maybe that was the first time for me.”

“It’s funny because I know — _I just know_ — if I was not listening to my friend’s song the moment I saw you, I would have thought this was our song.”

Baekhyun looked at his wrists, into his soulmark before he replied.

“Well, you were right,” he said. “It is our song.”

Chanyeol grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together.

Baekhyun could not help but feel the callouses on Chanyeol’s fingers as it touched his. He could also not stop himself from admiring the veins on the taller’s hands and the stains of ink from manmade tattoos on his skin. And when Baekhyun looked up at him, he could see adorable tiny dots scattered on the taller’s face. 

It still amazes him how good it felt to be this close to Chanyeol. It was so close that he could feel the same air Chanyeol breathes flowing through his own nose to his lungs. So close that he could hear his every heartbeat with every touch and every kiss he gives. It was like finding something he has long lost exactly when he had almost given up the search. And for Baekhyun, having Chanyeol right there beside him was like finally truly knowing and trusting himself after a lifetime of second guessings.

With his free hand, Baekhyun let himself touch Chanyeol’s skin. He indulged himself in the contentment of being able to feel Chanyeol at the slightest he could — with the tip of his fingers. 

The veins on the Chanyeol’s hands were the lines that meet with the bones of Baekhyun’s fingers telling him that no matter what life and what world they will be in, they will find each other. The dots on the taller’s face and Baekhyun’s moles were the stars that aligned together to build their destinies, knotting their souls together like they were bright heavenly beings forming one entire galaxy of great unknowns, bound to be together to create something beautiful for the universe.

Seeing all these worldly things — the freckles and bones and moles — all the imperfections, and the beauty that comes with it, just gives Baekhyun’s heart an odd solace. Because the existence of the most simple and mundane things there could ever be, was what makes all of this real.

  
  


**_fin._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can also find me on Twitter, [@kaiyeoltimate](https://twitter.com/kaiyeoltimate). Let's be friends! ♡


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